🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi all,

I am an AutoCAD CAD manager looking for a solution to a different issue (batch plotting multiple PDFs), but happened to notice this topic, so maybe I can help.

As you have found, AutoCAD and PDFs do not play well together, as Autodesk (the maker of AutoCAD) has its own electronic file format called DWF (which is a great format, but PDF is pretty much the defacto standard of electronic files). The newest version of AutoCAD (2007) addresses the native creation of PDFs, but it is still not perfect, and if you don't have access to it, you are pretty much out of luck.

The full version of Adobe Acrobat also provides a .pc3 file to enable direct printing/plotting to PDFs from AutoCAD, but if you just have the free reader, like I do, then the .pc3 file won't work for you.

One of the easiest workaround solutions is to get one of the many free 3rd party add-ons for AutoCAD to enable printing/plotting from AutoCAD directly to PDF. A couple I have personally used with good success are called CutePDF and PDF995; you can use Google to find them.

Basically, they install a virtual printer/plotter on your PC, which does not plot to paper, it plots directly to the PDF file. They include standard ANSI paper sizes, as well as many others, and you can also configure them to plot to any custom sizes, just like any other printer/plotter.

Hope this helps.
Good luck!